News:

Reading the forum on your cell phone? There's an easier way. We've enabled a Tapatalk app that makes browsing the forum a whole lot easier. Check it out in the iPhone or Android store if you don't own it already.

I think it works so that you can chose two answers and the poll is up for 30 days

I red the first six edition and train every technique that I was able. It was a bible as you go to the cliff, climb and when you came back look at all possibility that exist. For example, to belay there is 8 device that can be use I think. Many way to equalize stopper, etc.

As I came back to the yos, and the only guide book disponible was route with no technical gear, It is a little deception. Althought arrow head arrete present some difficulty because the rock have many fissure tht can broke under a fall. afterMountaineering gave a large vision of what we can do, particularly the fifth edition. After it is less interesting. The present a standard method that you have to learn without consciently think at your safety. sad

Logged

DLottmann

"I was 15 when I bought the 3rd Edition. I read it back to back many times and it had a direct influence on me getting a job with EMS at 16. It was, and still is, an excellent reference book for the aspiring mountaineer. It's strength, is it assumes you know NOTHING about hiking, rock climbing, ice climbing, camping, etc, then goes into a lot of detail on each subject.

Without practical experience someone who only knows what is in the book is bound to carry 55lbs of gear with them on a simple day hike... however it can provide a great foundation for the aspiring mountaineer.

I'm pretty sure the ONLY negative feelings regarding the book are present in these forums due to a certain "his name shall not be spoken" individual who constantly quotes (or mis-quotes) the book as if it were gospel while comparing sport to trad..."

If I can't fix you with a T shirt and a roll of sport tape your gonna die anyways How many keep a roll of tape on their chalkbag belt? My chalkbag belt BTW is 6mm cord. I try to not carry anything that is not full strength. Seen folks w/ fake biner on the chalk bag? Huh? why not a breal biner that you can use if you have to.

I've literally never opened it. I'm more into experiential learning and have the scars to prove it. Studied Robbins' Basic and Advanced Rock Craft books, where he did mention that newfangled Sticht plate but said he couldn't recommend it because it was just another piece of equipment that can fail. Guess that's where I get my minimalist attitude, that and long distance backpacking. Wonder what Royal makes of cordalettes, Gri-gris, and all the other complicated belay/rappel devices out there now that give you so many options for really f**king up. And yeah, I'll still use a hip belay in the mts. when I'm in a hurry (and you should always be in a hurry on an alpine route).

Sometimes I think Champ and I may be on the same page, but damned if I can tell for sure. His page appears to be in french and mine hillbilly, and never the twain shall meet.

Haven't read it. But I'm not going to say that I won't at some point in the future... Currently making my way through a couple of books from John Long. I just started climbing this spring but I've spent time on ropes before that working in trees on occasion. I gotta learn stuff somehow and hands-on training isn't a viable option for me all the time. Read it and take that knowledge to the rock and turn the knowledge into practical experience.

I had to vote Champ taught me everything....just because I've climbed with him a bunch. I DID read FOTH back in the day, and own a copy. To really appreciate it though, you'd have to understand how little solid rock and glacier info there was back then. Pappy read the Robbins books, we all did, geared largely toward nailing. The Chouinard catalog was a major disseminator of information. No internet, no John Long books, nothing. I own several ancient British texts...Blackwell's Mountaineering, etc..

FOTH at the time was awesome.

I still waist belay too. Best on slabs, hard to understand people getting dropped on Gri-gri's and such. Caught some big mofo's on short leashes on a waist belay w/o any problem.

« Last Edit: September 25, 2012, 07:22:02 PM by The other tomcat »

Logged

Tom Stryker

DLottmann

There's a lot more tools and options out there today than there was even 15 years ago. That's good and bad. Good, because when used properly they let us climb faster, safer, and more efficiently then we could in the past. Bad, because when used poorly they slow us down, create more weight, clutter, opportunities to f'up.

I like to take an open minded approach to climbing. Show me what you got, and if I like it I will adapt it to my system, but don't sell me the shiniest new $100 belay device if it won't seriously improve my systems.

I picked it up used many years ago. I remember how happy I was to find it in a used bookstore for a price that I could afford. I probably read it cover to cover 20 times over, before the days of easy Internet access. I'd flip to the parts on glaciar travel and day dream about being in some far away remote landscape employing all these crazy tactics. Flipping through the pages made me want to get out and see crevasses, avalanches, glaciers, and moats. Things that growing up in New England a kid never gets to play on or see.

FOH, was and is not a bible, no book was/is. I took the info from it and went to the cliffs and saw what everyone else was doing. Then augmented by other books and a multitude of partners that's how I learned.

So, yeah I have a soft spot in my heart for FOH. For all those that never had the chance to crack it open while still new and foolish to the sport to dream of a far away lands I feel sorry for you.